By Jason Klaiber

Staff Writer

The DeWitt Fire District kicked off the observance of National Fire Prevention Week, this year running from Oct. 6 to Oct. 12, with its annual open house on Sunday.

Chief of Fire Jason Green said he aimed to make the open house both informative and fun.

Pamphlets were set out at the fire station at 4500 East Genesee St. in DeWitt informing visitors about carbon monoxide detection and risk reduction, smoke alarm use and the elderly care program PACE CNY.

Literature on display also recommended the installation of sprinklers in households and suggested making plans for escaping a home during a fire.

A sheet on steps to take during a boil water advisory had been shown for public viewing as well, coinciding with the recent boil water order affecting DeWitt townspeople related to the presence of coliform bacteria in the water supply.

Green said these materials are available at the fire station year-round.

“Fire prevention is not just a one-day or one-week or one-month thing,” Green said.

To accompany the instructional documents laid out at the open house, stickers, play badges and plastic helmets could be used and kept by children who attended.  

Children were also allowed to tour the fire district’s facilities and become comfortable with the vehicles and other equipment at the station.

“The kids love to come climb on the fire trucks,” Green said. “That’s just part of everybody’s childhood.”

Green said comfort with firefighting uniforms and equipment helps ease children if they ever need the assistance of firefighters in the event of a house fire.

“They look at us and see us in the gear and then they tend to hide, so we want to make sure they know we’re not something bad—not a monster or machine,” Green said. “There’s so much sci-fi right now that kids are scared of stuff like that. We make sure that Darth Vader sound coming at you is a good sound.”

Green said the DeWitt Fire District also views older, “vulnerable” adults as part of its target population for fire and hazard safety tips.

“As we age, senses become less sharp,” he said. “We become forgetful.”

He said memory loss experienced by individuals leads to an inability to hear a smoke alarm and actions like leaving food on the stove or in the oven too long.

“Injury-wise too, they become a little more susceptible to falls,” Green said. “We have a number of senior housing areas in the district and we try to help them. We want to make sure we point out things like trip hazards, loose rugs and overloading outlets.”

Apples, cider and donuts were provided at Sunday’s event, which Green said had been attended by around 60 people between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

National Fire Prevention Week commemorates the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire that resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries in 1871.  

For more information about the DeWitt Fire District, visit dewittfire.org or call 315-446-3195.